Improvement in boring wells



UNITED 'STATE-s PATENT I OFFICE.

JOHN Y. sM'ITH, or ALEXANDR'ImvIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN commeA WELLS.

v.Specification forming par-t of Letters Patent No. 47.868, dated May23, 1865;

.'lo all whom it may concern.-

Be-it known that I, JOHN Y.SMITH, of

Alexandria, in the county-of Alexandria and State ofl Virginia, have invented certain new and useful improvements'in machinery or, ap. paratus vfor boring Artesian or other wells; and 'l hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is such a full,clear, and ,exact description use the saine.

' To fully comprehend the nature of my invention it' may' be necessary briefly to refer to of the saineas will enable others to makeand 'the method now generally in use of boring wells, particularly in the Oil regions of Pennsylvania andV West Virginia. The boring apparatus consists of a straight-edge' chisel-like drill-tool attached-to the end ot' a pendent rope or cable, to whicha reciprocating upfandV down motion is givenby means of a walking` beam; The rope .is attached to the walkingbeam Yby means of a temple-screw, wherebyaA given' amount of feed -and rotation is given to the rope as the drill progresses in its work. This feedis determined by the length ofthe temple-screw and the rotation by the amount Vof twist or torsion the cable 'or rope is capable to bear, so that after the limit of torsion is attained the rope has to be untwisted, during whichfoperation no rotation is effected, the

drill in the meantime striking in thesame place, and after the limit of feed is 'attained l the screw has to be adjusted back and an 'equal amount of cable haste befed out '-be-V fore proceeding with the work;- F'roiu thisv it will be'seen thatthe old method of boring in- 'valves a loss oi' time, labor, and consequently expense, which is the objectof my inventionVA 'to obviate.

The apparatus subject ofthis patent cousists of the following parts: First, a vertical cylinder, placed directly over the well, Operated by steam, and a hollow piston-rod, or an arm attached to a solid piston-rod, 'moving a. 'rope of hemp lor wire,\to which the boringtools are attached; second, a Vmechanism for producing a continuous rotation of the rope 1n one direction, which also rotates the drum around which the rope iswonnd'; third, a mechanism' forproducin'g a self adjusting auto matic feed, which also serves to regulate the force of theblow; fourth, a means of rotating Y vthe-drum tofwithdrawthe tools l'and return them with great rapidity. Y

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 .is a lperspective `view ofthe apparatus complete, A is a d crrickfor frame ot' ordinary or suitable construction, be.

ing mounted over the Welly or place where the well is to be bored. On'top the derrick carries the pulley B, in Whose crease lies the rope dr cable C, to which the drillingtool isattached. The rope orcable is wound around a drum, D, hung in bearings in a swinging or'k ,revolving frame, E, constructed and operating as hereinafter described. The rope -descenda through Va .clamp or`holder,"F'-i. e., a

.lougitudinallydivided cylinderlined with Wood or other material of slightly yielding o`r com- -pressible nature, so that afii-rmgrip or hold is securedon the xrope' by lateral impression of the? said clamp/.2 This clamp, to whichlpre- 'imparted a reciprocatingmotionby being combined witirthe pistonfrod oifa'stationarysteam-cylinder, H, of suitable construction,

There are two ways of eifec'ting this combination. The gripper-'bon` may be arranged on top v'and in continuation of the piston-rod, which for that purpose is hollow, and the rope then passing through the center of the steam-cylinder, pistonQandpiston-rod; or it may be combined7 as shown in the drawings, with the solid pistonrod I bymeans of a cross-head J, the rope passing in front of the cylinder. In the former case the head of the cylinder acts as or is provided with an annular anvil, againstv which the gripper-box strikes at the end ofeach descending strokein order to release the hold Y of the wedges on the clamp and the grip of the latter on the rope for the purpose of @HOW- 'ing the requisite amountof rope to be fed out. Inthe latter case an anvil, K, is cast or bolted to the cylinder, so as'to project in the path of the gripper-box amd suddenly arrest it in its downward stroke for the purposeof expanding the wedge-box and allowing the rope. to

vdescend and pay out therequiredA feed.

Intermittent rotation is given to the gripper-box in a'manner precisely similar to that described in the. patent before referred to, with the exception that instead of a casing whichis stationary and slotted, through which a stud of the circular ratchet passes, 1 use on the cylinder-head a cam or inclined slotted arm, L, against or within which runs the pin or stud which, operating a lclutch or ratchet,

rotates the gripper-box, clamp, andv consequently the rope with the drillingtool at- Steambeing admitted to the cylmder'under the piston, the gripper-box and the tool will .be-raised, being properly guidedl in upright ways yM,-in which the wrists on the crosshead move. By the action ofthe valve or by simple condensation (for steam need only be A used to lift the tool) the piston will move downward, carrying with 4it the-gripper-box, which, on comingiucontact with the anvil, will, by the expansion of the wedges, release the rope, which with its drilling-tool will dcscend with` theV force due, -to its momentum. 'Atcach downward stroke theyrope will be twisted soas to cause thel tool 'to strike at an angle 'with its position .at the blowimme-l diately preceding. The rotation ofthe tool at each stroke causes' the rope to twist-which would soon, necessarily andperiodically, Vinterfere with the progress ofthe work to un- .twist the rope, as-this is now done. 'Io remedy this, and to 'insure continuity of rotationand action of the tool, I have provided the arrangement as follows: A vertical rod, N, held up by springerother equivalent means in guides land in proper relation to the cross-head, is atl :its lower extremity jointed to a crank', O,

which operates-a ratchet, P, fast on the end .of a horizontal shaft,"Q, whose other en'diis provided with a pinion, R, meshing in with a bevel-wheel, S, on the under sideandaround the pivot of the swingingframe before 'referred to.- Thehrod N actuated by thecrosshead at eachdownwar stroke through the agency of theratchet,`partially rotates the pinionand bevel-wheel, which. movement. being 'trans- "mitted to the frame ofthe drum Ycauses the ydrnm to revolve upon an axis through which the rope passes, so that the rope is twisted in the contrary direction of that caused .by the `gripper-box.: The revolution .ofthe `drum is-` y thus-calculated to counteract the twist given* by the gripper-box. This' arrangement isA 'shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3, which represent sideand rear views, respectively.

'Io prevent the drum from giving or-feeding outl more A'rope than is actually necessary for each stroke, and thus formingexcess of slack,

and to regulate the intensity'of the blow of I the tool accord-in g to the resistance offered, as 'well as to expedite the-running down of great length of rope after having been takenup for lchange .of tool-or for' otherpurposes, I provide the-drumY with a grooved flange, T, to which is applied a brake consisting of a'tlexible metal strap, V, one end of which is xed to the. frame, whilethe other is secured to the eccentric end of a lever, lV, provided with an adjustable weight,'- X. This strap, encircling'the rim -of h the flange, holds the drum with a friction proportionate to 'the weight on the lever, the ef# feet of which is that the rope is fed out by posl- Vtive-forceand the'blo'w of the tool diminished 'be made to mesh inat the pleasure :of the Operator. The drum, on the other hand, is also provided with a cog wheel,`c, which, when the swinging frame is locked by the ldog c l, to be stationary, occupies such relation tothe pinion and the fly-wheel as that the pinion shall mesh in with it at vthe same time it, meshes inwith the iiywheeL Thus, by lifting thepinion by means. of the eccentric g, it will-gear simul taneously with the -yfwh'eel Y and the cogwheel c, and ,transmit the rotary vmovement of the former to .the'latten' lIn this way the tool may be hoisted and the rope wound in'exceedingly short time. -vfTo let vthe tool .down again,

it. is only necessary to'remove the weight oi the` lever or -to Alift, thelever, wheuthesweight ofgt'he'tool will readily pay out rope for the lwhole ,dept-h of the well. In either case of l'taking up or lifting out rope care must be takeny tonnlock the-wedges in the gripperybol,.which may b edoneby the.fo1lower.de. scribed in thesaid patent of Herman Haupt -before'referred to.

With thisfa'pparatus may be combined a I sand-pum`p,whichgma'y be -worked by a drum, f, operated by 'a -belt or band, m, passing over Apulleys n and '0,as ,shown in the drawings.

' The advantages which I believe maybe-secured by the use of an vapparatusfconstitu'c'ted l I Ain accordance with .thisA my invention 4are as First. Direct actionfof steam to raise the- 'piston,which is returned by gravity,nsing\ t' steam o'ny inone direction, andsavin g a largex [Lgf percentageofthe'fue.

Second. -A greater number of blows per minu-te than by other machines, in consequenceof f l direct action.

Third. Continuous'-rotation'o the tools4 ythe same direction, which secures a roundthole and prevents wedgingl Fourth. Automatic feed,'which insures the properoperation of theydrill .atalltimea "With the ordinary apparatus it is sometimes. dificult to determine whether'the ,tools are raised from thelrock or net while the engine is working.-

' Fifth. fighe, ab'iicy 1:,0 withdraw and return lthe tools rapidly rendez-'s `it possible to bore at a depth of one thousand' feet at about the same cost per footlas at. a depth of 'one hundred.V

With rods,.pole s,- or pipes the cost; is increased very-rapidly with thedepthfand 4beyond very moderate limitsbpring with pipes or :tubes be-- 'comes'. practically impossible.4 At a depth I.of one thousand. feetfthelnseof, .the tubes in the ordinary wuay will reqnire Valmost l as many:- lhojur's to, changthe: tools.. as the apparatns herein described'will require minutes.

Sixth. The costof the whole; apparatus is furnished at considerably lesscost than the pipedrillltbrwhich an engine mast be pro-` vided; Y 4 i Having' thus described 'my-'invention and i vthe manner inwhich' the same isor maybe' carried into ei'ect; I shall statemyfclaimss r l. In combination with Va steam-cylinder, whether arranged concentrically or eccentri' cally' with said cylinder agripperbox for other instrument to intermittently hold and 4release the rope or cable, substantially as and for the purposes'set forth.

l 2 rJhe. combination, with va steam-cylinder `and*gripper-box, arranged as described, of 'a mechanism for intermittently rotating saidv box' while irnll ylholdin g the tool, substantially as and for the purposes set forth'.

3. A 'mechanisch for prodncing intermittent rotation of the ropel continuously. in the saine directionfin combination with a mechanism .,for simultaneously nntwisting the rope. substantially 'as Vset forth.

4. In combination with a gripper-box, or the Vthe mechanical eqnivalent thercof,for rotating therope continuously in the samedirection,

a drum `around which the rope. is wound, when Said dru'm ishnng in aframe-'revolying in the l `mannerand for the purposes s 'et forth." 5'.- The 'i'nethod herein described of producing a self-adj ustingautoxnatic feed of the rope.

I 6. vThe method herein described' of'rcgulat ing the-force of-the.b1ow, snbstantiallyas setv forth.

j '7. The ineens herein described, or the mechanicalequivalent thereof, for producing selfadj ufsti'ng' automating feed, which -alsorserves Ato regulate "the force of the blow.-

8. The method herein described of 'rotatin g .the drum to withdraw the tools and return vthem with great rapid-ity, substantial1y as set forth.

lr'rte'stimonylwhereof IV have, signed my4 name to this'spe'cication before'twosnbscrib-` j ing witnesses.

Witnesses:

A.' POLL'AK, Jos. L. 0ooMns.

.1 -Y. SMITH. 

